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'Hymnals can mix songs together, change the tempo and store at least 3,000 as standard.

'They have a lot of music already stored on the system that is suitable for weddings, christening, funerals - any church service really.'

Changing times: St Mary The Virgin church in Mudford near Yeovil, Somerset, was one of the first to test out a hymnal

Between
1950 and 1980 church attendance halved, and between 1980 and 2005 it
halved again – down to 6.3 per cent of the population, according to
Christian Research.

But
Church of England cathedrals have fared a little better than churches on
the whole and have seen a steady increase in attendance of 30 per cent
since the turn of millennium - a growth of approximately 3 per cent on
average each year.

Around 15,900 adults and 2,200 children and young people usually attend Sunday Services around the country.

Mr Phelps claims that the hymnals
have helped many congregations boost attendance at their services.

The Reverend Michael Hayes says the hymnal is only used when an organist isn't available

He
added the hymnals cost between £2,000 and £3,000 but have become a vital
piece of equipment for many churches.

He said: 'We've sold thousands in the
UK and we've now started selling to America. We've also sold some to
Africa and are exporting a few to Australia soon.

'They're helping many churches to keep the tradition of singing during services that they otherwise would struggle to do.'

The 15th century St Mary the Virgin church in Mudford, near Yeovil in Somerset, was one of the first to test out the hymnal.

The parish still has several organists but uses a hymnal called Music Plus when they are unavailable.

Reverend
Michael Hayes said: 'We've used Music Plus for the five and a half
years I've been here. We also have a music plus at one of my other
churches.

'We still have our own organists on a rota so the system is only used when they are away or unavailable.

'It seems to be very easy to work and the congregation seem perfectly happy with it.

'The quality is very good. When I first heard it, I thought that a good organist had been recorded playing, but its actually all done electronically.

'So you do think it is real organist playing when it's on.

'We only use it once a month but it makes a big difference when we do. Otherwise there would be no singing or no singing with no assistance.

'It's also portable and we've used it a few times when we've visited homeless shelters or for carol services.

'We don't want to go down the road of machines replacing people - we would always prefer one of our organists - but it's helpful when they're not available. '